Barcelona are only willing to give Frenkie de Jong a fraction of what they currently owe him, with the club hoping he'll agree to waive the rest and move to Manchester United.
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De Jong remains United's number one target, despite their wait to make their move for Christian Eriksen official and the fact they've signed Tyrell Malacia.
It's the longest running transfer saga of the summer, so far, and the latest twist to the tale is the introduction of Chelsea, as they consider hijacking United's deal.
Despite all the rumours, Barcelona are still adamant that the Dutchman isn't for sale, which seems incredible considering their financial issues.
In fact, if De Jong did stay at the club, they'd have to pay him nearly £100 million over the next four years and owe him around £17.1 million this year alone.
That's due to money he is due from bonuses and from deferred wages, when he agreed to a lesser wage during Covid, but the club aren't willing to pay it all.
According to Football Transfers, the Catalan giants are only willing to hand over €3.5 million but ask him to forgo the rest of it in order to help with the move to United.
The deferred payments aren't the only stumbling block to the transfer happening, with De Jong not actually minded to leave the Nou Camp.
He joined from Ajax in 2019, following the Eredivisie club's run to the semi finals of the Champions League, but he hasn't quite reached the same heights in Spain.
The fact that Xavi has Gavi and Pedri in his team has also meant that he isn't so integral to the club's future and they can afford to let the 25-year-old go.
Joan Laporta's claims that the club don't want to sell the Netherlands international seem more like an attempt to save face than actual facts.
Barca can't even currently register their new players for next season, having confirmed the signings of Franck Kessie and Andreas Christiansen on free deals.
Despite that, they continue to be linked with Cesar Azpilicueta, Robert Lewandowski and Bernardo Silva, even if they look incapable of making the moves without first selling De Jong.
Featured Image Credit: Alamy
Topics: Manchester United, Manchester United Transfer News & Rumours, Transfers, Frenkie De Jong, Barcelona, Chelsea, La Liga, Premier League
